Police hunt two suspects after man 'beaten with metal pipe in shocking attack'

Crime reporter(wp/es):

Police were hunting for two suspects after a man was allegedly beaten with a metal pipe during a “shocking” robbery in east London.

The 40-year-old man, who speaks limited English, was assaulted by two men who asked him directions to a taxi rank in Upton Park, police said.

Officers have released new CCTV footage of the suspects who approached the man at a bus stop in Queen’s Market in the early hours of the morning.

He suffered cuts and bruises to his head and arm in the attack, during which his phone and wallet are believed to have been stolen.

The first suspect is described as a black man who was wearing a red baseball cap, dark coloured jumper with ‘Ghelle’ written across the chest in white and dark trousers.

The second man is said to have been a black man aged in his 20s.

He was described as wearing a white hoody with a dark body warmer, black belt and white trousers.

Officers are appealing for anyone who recognises the men or has information about the robbery, which happened at about 2.40am on October 12, to come forward.

CCTV cameras also caught the same two men chasing a woman in the same area at 2.12am. 

Police are looking to trace the woman. It is not known if she had been robbed. 

Detective Constable Faye Cook, from Newham CID, said: "This was a shocking incident that has left the victim very distressed. We are keen to identify the two men in the CCTV footage so we can speak to them about the incident.

"We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us as well as anyone who might have been a victim of these two suspects. 

“We are particularly keen for the woman who was chased by the suspects the same night to come forward."

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Young man 'viciously' stabbed to death outside university halls

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A young man was “viciously” stabbed to death outside a hall of residence at London’s world-renowned University of the Arts, it has emerged.

The man in his 20s was knifed in the chest yards from the main entrance as he walked near college accommodation block in west London at 6.30pm on Thursday.

Witnesses said a fight broke out between two men “pushing and shoving” before the victim staggered to a bench clutching his chest. He fell forwards and collapsed onto the pavement.

Paramedics battled to save his life for 20 minutes at the scene before he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A manhunt is now underway for the knifeman who is believed to have dropped his weapon and fled.

Students who live in the Costume Store, opposite North Acton Tube station, told of their shock at the death on their doorstep.

The modern block houses 530 UAL undergraduates most of whom study at the London College of Fashion in Shepherd’s Bush.

It was placed on lockdown until the early hours with security guards manning the gates as police with sniffer dogs searched inside.

A student from China living in the Costume Store halls told the Standard: “He was killed in the street. I don’t know who he is. We are all scared. The policemen keep telling us not to worry.

“I don’t want to tell my parents because I know they will be really worried and want me to go home.”

Scotland Yard said the victim’s family have been informed of his death.

A 27-year-old international student studying for her postgraduate degree said: “It’s terrible. The police refused to tell us anything apart from the fact that someone had been stabbed and told us to go home another way.

“It’s so scary because there’s so many of us students that live in this area. I’m sad to hear someone has lost his life over a brawl.

"I’m sure we’ll all be a lot more cautious now.”

The UAL comprises Central Saint Martins, Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication and Wimbledon Arts College.

The Costume Store halls, a mix of shared flats and self-contained dorms, opened in September 2012 on the site that once housed the BBC’s costume collection.

A student who lives in the block in Victoria Road wrote on Twitter: “A person I live [with] has been stabbed outside of our flat walking home and is in hospital and we are all locked in the common room.”

Another wrote: “Someone got stabbed downstairs. I’m just staring from the window, there are 11 police cars and police everywhere. They’ve brought in police dogs and looking around.”

A London College of Fashion student said: “I lived in these halls last year. So horrible to see news like this.”

A pub manager who works nearby told the Standard: “They were pushing and shoving each other and then the guy stabbed him and ran off.

“I saw him lying on the floor. The paramedics were doing CPR on the guy for about 20 minutes.

“They were still trying to save him as they were putting him in the ambulance. He was on his own, and I heard he was a student.

“Nothing really happens around here, it’s very quiet so it is shocking that this has happened.

“It’s really sad. I was shocked. It’s just no regard for life.”

In a message on its Facebook page, a UAL spokesman wrote: “If you’re a UAL student at The Costume Store, there are residence managers on site to help with any enquiries.

Cyclist dies after hit-and-run crash in Buckhurst Hill

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A cyclist who was seriously injured in a suspected hit-and-run in north-east London has died.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was on his way to work when he was hit by what police believe was a small lorry at about 4.15am on Thursday.

The man was found lying in the road in Buckhurst Hill and was rushed to the Royal London Hospital, but died on Thursday evening.

A wing mirror was found by police at the scene in Roding View which they believe belongs to the vehicle involved.

Detective Inspector Dave Jones, of Essex Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "We believe the vehicle involved in this collision was a small lorry, probably less than seven and-a-half tonnes, and light, possible white, in colour.

"It was travelling towards Buckhurst Hill from Debden.

"I would urge the driver of the vehicle to come forward and contact us.

"Equally if there are any transport managers or transport companies who have noticed anything suspicious about one of their vehicles, particularly that it may be missing a wing mirror, please get in touch urgently.

"Additionally I would urge any shops in the Loughton, Debden and Buckhurst Hill areas that receive deliveries from a vehicle matching that description to also contact us.”

Walk-out set to cause Christmas travel chaos brought forward

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A Southern Railway strike set to cause Christmas travel chaos has been moved forward.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are embroiled in a bitter dispute over changes to the role of guards and have launched a series of strikes which have disrupted services.

They were due to stop work for three days from December 22, but this has been changed to a 48-hour stoppage from the 19th.

The RMT said the move followed consultation with its members affected by the dispute as well as passengers.

Other strikes the union has called, from December 6-8 and from New Year's Eve to January 2, remain in force.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Our guards on Southern are in daily contact with passengers and the support for our fight to defend safety remains phenomenal.

"RMT is truly grateful for the overwhelming public backing for the campaign to keep a second, safety-critical member of staff on Southern trains.

"It is from that daily feedback from passengers that the union has taken the decision to alter the dates for action over Christmas. That's the difference between us and Southern. We listen, they don't."

The leader of another union in dispute with Southern Railway has warned that driver-only operation is "inherently unsafe".

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have just two seconds to check 24 sets of doors, often on trains carrying more than 1,000 passengers.

Aslef is launching a work to rule next week and is planning a series of strikes later this month, crippling services on Southern, which is already being hit by the separate row over the role of guards and issues such as a shortage of staff.

Mr Whelan was responding to a letter by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to a Conservative MP, about the industrial disputes.

The minister told Brighton MP Simon Kirby that industrial action on Southern was politically motivated, saying Aslef had accepted driver-only operation (DOO) on the Brighton mainline.

More than 60% of trains on the Greater Thameslink Railway, which includes Southern, have DOO, said Mr Grayling.

"I recognise the very real concerns that you and your constituents have about this, but we cannot allow the unions to dictate how or whether the railways should be modernised or not.

"They are seeking the right to determine when a train should be cancelled to inconvenience passengers, even in circumstances when this doesn't need to be the case. In recognition of the very real problems that this is causing, I will be writing to you later this week with details of a compensation package for Southern passengers," said Mr Grayling.

Mr Whelan said: "It's been our policy for more than 15 years to try to eradicate driver-only operation because DOO is inherently unsafe.

"DOO was designed for three-car 317s on the Bedford to St Pancras line in the early 1980s when it was all about managed decline at the fag end of British Rail.

"An increase in the number of passengers we are carrying every day means there are now 1,100 passengers on a 12-car train and a driver will have just two seconds to check 24 sets of doors and that's simply not adequate to deal safely and properly with the travelling public.

"Protecting passengers, and our members, in the 21st century is being applauded by many of the travelling public, who can see through the political machinations and misinformation of the Government and the Department for Transport."

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: "Trains where drivers close the doors are safe. Numerous independent safety experts have confirmed this. Such trains have been operating safely on Britain's railway for 30 years and they run in countries around the world.

"If the railway is to provide the better services that passengers want and the country needs, it has to change to harness modern technology and smarter ways of working."

Capital braced for freezing weekend as cold snap continues

Staff reporter(wp/es):

London is braced for more frosty weather and sub-zero temperatures as a cold snap continues into the weekend.

Forecasters predict overnight lows of -2C and daytime temperatures of about 7C on Saturday and Sunday.

Cloudy conditions will bring a brief reprieve from the coldest conditions on Thursday and into Friday with highs of about 8C, dropping to zero at night.

But the Met Office said a cold weather front would see sub-zero temperatures return by the weekend.

A spokesman for the Met Office told the Standard: “One of the changes on Thursday night is the amount of cloud around, which will bring slightly warmer conditions. 

“There is the potential for some frost and fog around on Thursday night but the temperatures won’t be as low as we’ve seen for the last couple of nights. 

“Into Saturday and Sunday, a cold front moving in will bring drier, cold air and will disperse the clouds and temperatures will drop significantly overnight again. 

The capital was hit by an arctic blast on Monday, which gripped the capital for several days. 

Daytime temperatures peaked at about 5C and plummeted to -6C most nights.

delays hit Northern, Piccadilly, District, Central and Victoria lines

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Tube commuters are braced for another morning of rush hour travel chaos after disruption hit several London Undergroundlines.

Signal failures sparked severe delays on the Victoria, Northern and District lines, while the Piccadilly line and Central lines offered a reduced service as repairs were carried out to its fleet of trains.

Last night, Transport for London told the Standard the delays to the Piccadilly line would persist for a fortnight while engineers “work around the clock” to repair damaged trains.

Passengers using the line – the fourth busiest on the London Underground network - have already faced days of severe delays after “wet leaves on the track” damaged the wheels on several trains.

TfL apologised to customers for the delays.

Lighting and motor repairs were also being carried out to Central line trains causing delays until about 8am, TfL said.

A signal failure at Finchley Central at about 5am today meant the Northern line was suspended between that station and Mill Hill East. 

A faulty train added to the disruption on the line with minor delays between Camden Town and Edgware.

The Victoria line was suspended between Finsbury Park and Walthamstow Central after a signalling problem at about 6am. 

Service later resumed with severe delays and passengers have been advised to avoid Seven Sisters station. Normal service on the line resumed shortly before 8am, TfL said on Twitter.

The District line had minor delays between Earl's Court and Wimbledon after another signal problem at Earl's Court.

The DLR was also suspended between Bow Church and Stratford due to an obstruction on the track.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We apologise for the disruption experienced by our customers to their journeys this morning. 

"Several of our lines were disrupted due to signal failures and faulty trains. Our engineers have been working hard to rectify the issues and return to a high level of service as quickly as possible.”

Theresa May slaps down Jeremy Corbyn after PMQ IMF/IFS mix-up

Political reporter(wp/es):

Theresa May slapped down Jeremy Corbyn today after he got confused between the “IMF” and “IFS” economic bodies.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour leader branded the Government’s economic strategy an “abject failure” after forecasts for last week’s Autumn Statement showed lower GDP growth, wage growth and business investement down, and borrowing and debt revised up.

The Prime Minister hit back, stressing that the International Monetary Fund had forecast the UK to be the fastest growing advanced economy in the world this year.

A record number of people were in work with companies like Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda, Apple, Google, ARM and Facebook investing in Britain to “secure” jobs, she added.

But Mr Corbyn responded that eradicating the deficit had been put back from 2015, to 2020 and now “whenever in the future.”

He then added: “Since she quotes the Institute of Fiscal Studies, I think she has been a little bit selective, because they also went on to say that the prospect for workers over the next six years was ‘dreadful’ and creating the ‘worst decade for living standards since the last war and probably since the 1920s’.”

Mrs May seized on this mix-up, replying: “I have to say to the Right Honourable Gentleman, I think given that he can’t differentiate between the IMF and the IFS, it’s probably a good job he’s sitting there and I’m standing here.”

Former Tory Cabinet minister Peter Lilley later appeared to mix up European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker with Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, when asking a question about securing rights for EU citizens in Britain and Britons in other European countries after Brexit.